Mother of brutally attacked 13yo 'beyond revolted' after police said it'd take weeks to get victim impact statement

A mother of a 13-year-old who was brutally attacked has been left "beyond revolted" by police after they told her it could take up to a month to take her daughter's victim impact statement.

The mother and daughter, who Newshub has agreed not to identify for their safety, went to the police station in Tauranga to report the attack but were essentially told the police couldn't do anything because they didn't have enough people in the Bay of Plenty region to take a victim impact statement.

"How are you meant to tell your child that the police are meant to look after you or protect you or do their jobs if they can't actually do their jobs?" the mother told Newshub.

On Sunday afternoon, the 13-year-old was walking with a group of friends back from the shops when a group of girls of the same age approached them and one of them started beating her.

A video of the attack was shared on Instagram of the girl being dragged by her hair, punched and kicked repeatedly.

When Newshub spoke with the victim's mother she said she didn't think it was a random attack.

"It definitely looked like a skilled attack, this person has definitely done this before."

After going to the police and being told they essentially couldn't do anything about it, the mother told Newshub her daughter was left deflated about the situation.

"For a child to realise there was no point in the effort that we made to go right in there and do it, sort-of defeats the purpose."

The mother said she has only told her family and friends about her daughter's attack and they wanted to step in and do something but the mum thought that was something police were paid to do.

"Why should you have to take something into your hands to be able to get a point across?"

The mum also said the daughter is luckily doing okay both physically and mentally after the fight but she doesn't want her going out alone with friends in case it happens again.

"I have had to enrol my daughter into MMA and jiu-jitsu just so she can learn how to protect herself."

The mum said she wouldn't have even considered signing her daughter up for martial arts classes if the attack didn't happen.

"Having to teach a child to fight is actually not a very nice thing to go through your head."

When Newshub contacted police they said they had chosen to take specialist advice on the matter.

"Police have access to specialist interview capability for young people who have been a victim of a serious crime, and our staff are encouraged to seek specialist advice when dealing with a serious crime on the best interview method(s) to use - this is determined on the individual circumstances of each case," Inspector Zane Smith told Newshub.

"We acknowledge that on this occasion the matter could have been dealt with more efficiently, and we are following up with the victim and their family.

"We take reports of this kind extremely seriously and we will take all necessary steps to support and protect anyone who has been a victim of crime."

As the person who attacked the 13-year-old was the same age, they most likely won't be charged and will be referred to the Youth Court.

In most cases, children who break the law under 13 years of age will only be held responsible for it if it was murder or manslaughter - although exceptions apply including if they're charged with a serious offence with a maximum penalty of jail for at least 14 years or have offended before, and the maximum penalty for their last offence was more than 10 years but less than 14 years in jail.

The mother told Newshub she doesn't understand why the girl who attacked her daughter isn't being charged properly.

"If they can choose to use their bodies in this way by booting someone in the head multiple times, why the hell can they not be charged with assault?"

Instead of being charged the offender would go through the Youth Justice System where they could be:

Issued a warning or formal caution by the police;

Referred to Police Youth Aid for alternative action;

Referred to a Youth Justice Coordinator for an 'intention to charge' Family Group Conference;

Arrested and have charges laid against them in the Youth Court.